“I’ve owned 18 Hondas so far,” says Darrell, who was born and raised in Invercargill and now lives in the Otago town of Mosgiel. “My latest one is a Hybrid. It’s white so I call her Miss Pearl. I don’t know whether it’ll be my last one or not. At my age you go day by day!” he laughs.
It’s a simple philosophy of making the most of what you’ve got, which has served Darrell well - even in his early years.
Photography by Jack Prebble
“I was never studious at school but I think I've got plenty of common sense,” says the former Southland Boys High student. “After three years there [at high school] I saw there was a job going at the bank so I told my parents I wanted to go for it,” he explains. And with that, a 16-year-old Darrell kicked off what would become a 40 year career with ANZ.
Over the years, the job took him to a range of cities and towns from Dunedin in the deep south to Edgecumbe in the Bay of Plenty, taking up the role of Bank Manager in each new spot. And while there was always the opportunity to climb the ladder, Darrell was content to stick with what he loved.
“I could have gone higher but I just always liked meeting and dealing with people,” he says simply.
And through the years Darrell has stuck with his favourite car brand too - from a zippy little Honda Civic to start, to an Accord when his kids were young. His all-time favourite however was purchased on a whim. “I took my car in for a service in Invercargill and while I was waiting in the showroom, I spotted this beautiful new Honda Legend - so I bought it,” laughs Darrell. “Unbeknownst to me that car was booked for driving Dame Kiri Te Kanawa around New Zealand on a tour. I suppose they had to rush around and get her another one,” he chuckles.
After retiring in his 50s Darrell did a stint living on Australia’s Sunshine Coast, where he also had some happy times. ”That was one of my favourite places,” he says “But I’m a Kiwi at heart, I’m nothing like an Aussie,” he laughs. Sadly during that time Darrell’s wife passed away, though he credits the good climate with buying them more time together. “We would have lost her much earlier than that because we went over there for health reasons,” he adds.
In 2017 Darrell returned to New Zealand, bringing back his Honda Jazz with him. These days he continues to do what he’s always loved, meeting and being around people “I’ve got my own little house in Mosgiel,” says Darrell, “I’m secretary of the local men’s Probus club, and I play bowls on Monday and Thursday morning. I don’t quite know how but I seem to be busier than when I was at work!”
As for making it to his 90s, Darrell credits a couple of things: “I’ve stayed pretty active and I have a wine at night,” he says. “On Friday’s I go down to the local. I think it’s probably my genes though, my father unfortunately died at 68 but my mother carried on till 91 and she had a brother who went to 101!”
His positive outlook no doubt helps too, though he does sometimes find himself concerned about the state of the world: “I don’t look at the news now because it’s all doom and gloom. Things are getting so costly and the number of people who are homeless [is rising].” Before adding more cheerfully, “But we’ll come right, I’m sure we will.”
And in the meantime there’s still plenty to celebrate. For his 90th Darrell popped into Honda Store Dunedin to discover that the team there had organised a spread for their loyal customer to mark the special day. At this significant age, Darrell feels there’s plenty to be grateful for: “I’ve had a wonderful life, I’ve been lucky, I’m pretty strong and I’m still buying my Hondas,” he says with a smile.
Just like the sign outside his home, Darrell's latest Honda is also branded with his nickname, Cookie
I’ve had a wonderful life,
I’ve been lucky, I'm
pretty strong and I'm still
buying my Hondas.
